First, left-leaning councillors failed to get council to discuss a winter “crisis” in homeless shelters. Then, after a debate marked by bickering and name calling, the Rob Ford administration easily defeated a bid to put some left-leaning councillors on the executive and budget committees.

A report on the shelter issue goes to a committee next month. But Councillor Adam Vaughan said the situation is a “crisis” that demands immediate discussion — a position shared by Ontario Coalition Against Poverty supporters who protested outside Mayor Ford’s office last week and attended Wednesday’s meeting.

Council voted 24-20 in favour of holding the debate immediately, but the motion needed 30 votes to pass.

Three shouting OCAP supporters then interrupted the meeting, forcing an early lunch break.

“Shame on this council,” one woman yelled from the public gallery. “You have blood on your hands,” she said, referring to a recent spate of homeless deaths in the midst of bitter weather.

OCAP leader John Clarke pledged to turn Metro Hall, on nearby John St., into a “shelter” on March 7. “March 7 opening of #MetroHallShelter must be an outpouring of community solidarity with homeless,” Clarke tweeted. “We must act.”

Seven homeless people have died so far this year, according to street pastor Doug Johnson Hatlem, who keeps statistics for the Toronto Homeless Memorial Network. The network has counted 700 such deaths since 1985.

Vaughan said his goal was to get approval for a temporary emergency shelter. “The clear indication we’re getting is that this is a crisis, people are in harm’s way, and the city is failing to take care of them,” he told reporters.

Several right-leaning councillors who opposed Vaughan’s proposal to open debate also expressed concern about the plight of the homeless, but argued the issue should go through the usual procedure.

Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong, Deputy Mayor Doug Holyday, and Ford’s staff argued that the shelter situation is not as dire as Vaughan and OCAP say.

“Every night, there are empty beds in Toronto shelters,” Ford’s staff said in talking points distributed to his allies and seen by the Star. “Toronto shelters are currently running just under capacity (average of 96 per cent at capacity) suggesting the system is the right size. How many more empty beds should taxpayers pay for?”

Minnan-Wong (Ward 34, Don Valley East) distributed a city occupancy report from Tuesday that showed a 4 per cent vacancy rate across the shelter system. Of 167 total beds available, there were 144 for men, 8 for women and 14 for youth.

“I think what we’ve heard in the past when we’ve had these debates (is that) there are going to be individuals, no matter what, will not be convinced to take a shelter space. And that’s a real challenge for us. The worst thing is someone who doesn’t take a bed; we want everyone in those beds. But in terms of availability, yesterday there were 167 spaces, and if we were to hit a cold weather alert, we’d have about 300 spaces available,” Minnan-Wong said.

Vaughan (Ward 20, Trinity-Spadina) said vacancies don’t always correspond with need. Beds are sometimes available only in certain areas of the city, far from people who need them, or only for certain groups.

He said the referral centre on Peter St. in his ward has been allowing about 70 people to sleep there, many on couches and the floor because it has only 40 beds. The facility is not supposed to function as a shelter.

Vaughan suffered a setback later in the day when his nomination to executive committee was rejected and Ford loyalist Vince Crisanti was picked in a 40-4 vote.

A bid to put left-leaning Councillor Janet Davis on budget committee was rejected in favour of council Speaker Frances Nunziata, who got the budget spot in a 40-3 vote.

Vaughan said he disagreed with the Ford administration that there’s no room for a single dissenting voice on the powerful executive committee, which the mayor chairs.

“I think the way to build a stronger city is to de-centralize power, not to centralize it in the mayor’s office,” Vaughan said after the vote. “Strong mayors make for weak councillors and weak councillors make for vulnerable communities.”

Del Grande, whose snap resignation from executive created the vacancy, returned to council after a brief hospitalization last week.

Del Grande, who wanted to be on the budget committee under former mayor David Miller, said Miller wouldn’t promote anyone who disagreed with his opposition to building a bridge to the island airport.

The message to those left out in the cold was, “Suck it up. Don’t be a baby,” Del Grande said, who threw the same words back at Ford opponents who had been prominent on Miller’s executive.

“For those of us who had to suck it up, my advice to you is suck it up. Be a man. Don’t be a baby,” Del Grande said.

Ford said he believes his political opponents want a seat on the executive committee to be disruptive.

“If you’re not going to support the way we want to change the city and save taxpayers’ money and stop the out-of-control spending, then you’re going to put one of the tax-and-spend lefties on there. And I don’t want that,” Ford said.

In other business Wednesday, council voted 42-0 to change the name of Don Jail Roadway to Jack Layton Way as a way to honour the late former Toronto councillor and federal New Democratic Party leader.

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